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Digestive tract. Stomach only breaks down the food. Also the body on average can only absorb only 25 grams of protein at a time..

Pray it doesn't last long and becomes unstuck. If its a bad stuck, you might have to call dr for a slight unfill, or for a few days go back to Protein shakes and fluids until swelling goes down. Whatever you do, do not drink something to try and get it to move. My Dr told me that and I didn't listen. Bad mistake. My stuck episodes have only lasted 10-15mins, lots of spitting slime and a few PB(productive burp). Good luck

I'm 11 days post surgery. I'm having no problem with water, but protein shakes still fill me up. I get in maybe two protein shakes spread out over the day. About the only other thing I eat are brothy soups (just the liquid from tomato or clam chowder) and V8. Maybe 2-3 oz of soup and I feel full. The soups are nice because I can find them fairly easily at restaurants and it maintains a semblance of normalcy. I get to move on to purred food soon. I'll probably just add scrambled eggs and finely diced chicken mixed with broth or gravy. I should be able to get enough protein there to back off of the shakes a bit.

Water Nazi, What an interesting name you have on this site : ) Congratulations on your date. I wish you an routine surgery and an easy recovery. I'm glad my doc didn't limit my salad size. Maybe they're worried you'll use a lot of higher calorie dressing? When I was on my pre-op-I did the reverse of what I do now. Veggies first then protein. I also drank at least 8 oz. of water before I ate. The water and veggies filled up my stomach and then the protein kept me satiated longer. Kathleen

After being sleeve for 8 weeks I think I have master eating all my protein and drinking all my liquids down right ,it's Been a long road for me trying too eat slow and chew many of times ,but it's been two days in a roll I havnt had chest pains becuz food lodge in my chest and I been able just too eat more then five bits of my food ,it was all in just eating slow now instead of 20min meals I have 40 min meals which let's me get in all my protein and my veg and I havnt had to take any pain med due too my tummy hurting ,325 pds before sleeve and now at 275 I had no per opt diet before surgery just was told no fried food and no sweet ,I basically ate fish chicken and veg til day before surgery then I didn't eat after midnight ,loving my sleeve now ,wish I knew how too post some pic becuz I look do different people keep telling me how much younger I look whoop whoop I hope that stay that way

i am 6 weeks post op. i would like to know how long does it take you to eat dinner .. ?? I had a 3oz piece of pork with one sliver(a bite) of a lemon potatoe .. i wanted to go slow and see if i could finish so i could get the protein in. but its been 2 hours and i cant finish .. I did most the pork . I just wanted to kno should i just fill myself in a half hour time and forget about trying to get it in ???

I'm eating tuna fish salad, crab salad, Tialpia made a lot different ways and from different restaurants, Salmon, shrimp, roast beef from Golden Corral, sliced ham with string cheese, 1 buffalo chicken drumette, a couple bites gumbo with chicken & sausage, boudin just 1 bite though lol the rice swells u. Chili, cooked veggies carrots, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, refried beans, eggs. I had potato soup but won't do that again it filled me up way to fast. I'm not getting that much protein in either, you maybe doing better then I am I'm only getting my protein from food I eat. I drink about 2 1/2 bottles of 16.9 fl OZs water a day that's about it. Oh and I eat 1 oz at breakfast 1 1/2 at lunch and 2 ozs at dinner. I do take my vitamins faithfully. You doing fantastic 26 lbs in a lil over 3 weeks that's Great.

Keesh - My skin is a big old mess right now...sounds exactly what you have...I have a whole bunch of very fine bumps on my left cheek and the right side of my chin. I'm not too worried about it just yet because I've had my skin go haywire before when I've completely revamped my diet. That's what I figure caused it. Two weeks of pre-op diet of strictly protein shakes, then liquid diet, then mushies, then soft foods, and now solids consisting of all protein and veggies. I figure it's just a skin detox and it will clear up on it's own. I'm going to give it a couple of months until everything levels out a bit. If it doesn't appear to be getting better then I might consult a dermatologist.

It would be nice to have the nutritional breakdown of the foods on the menu but I doubt it will happen. One problem is that companies lie. Independent testing spot checking fat content consistently shows higher levels than what the printed information states. Restaurants sell what people want. I rarely see people telling the wait staff NOT to bring the rolls and butter. If soup, salad, and dessert are included in the price of the meal, I rarely see people passing on any part. Some restaurants have a healthy option section on the menu that is very small compared to the rest of the menu. If healthy food was a big seller, I would expect to see this section made larger with more offerings. I do agree with Mac that it IS possible to make healthy choices without having a nutritional breakdown... shrimp cocktail over crabcakes, grilled fish over deep fried fish, fresh fruit over cheesecake. It seems people see eating out as a reason to splurge... and that includes calories. :-(

Desserts that give you a whole day's worth of calories in one dish. For a heart-healthy lifestyle, the average person needs only 2,000 calories a day and should limit their intake of saturated fat to 20 grams, and of sodium to 1,500 mg. Bear this in mind while you peruse the following list. The "winners" of the 2009 Xtreme eating award include: * Cheesecake Factory's Fried macaroni and cheese which contains 1,570 calories and 69 grams of saturated fat. "You would be better off eating an entire stick of butter", said the CSPI statement. * Olive Garden's Tour of Italy invites you to pile Lasagna, chicken Parmigiana, and Fettuccine Alfredo onto a very large dinner plate. * Uno Chicago Grill, The Melting Pot and Olive Garden's Red Lobster Ultimate Fondue, described as "shrimp and crabmeat in a creamy lobster cheese sauce served in a warm crispy sourdough bowl," contains 1,490 calories, 40 grams of saturated fat, and 3,580 mg of sodium. * Applebee's Quesadilla Burger is essentially a bacon cheeseburger inside a quesadilla and contains two flour tortillas, two kinds of meat, two kinds of cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, Mexi-ranch sauce, and fries. This dish has 1,820 calories, 46 grams of saturated fat, and 4,410 mg of sodium. Plus there is an option to top up the fries with more sauce and cheese. * Chili's Big Mouth Bites is four mini-bacon-cheeseburgers with fries, onion strings, and jalapeno ranch dipping sauce (the term "mini" is misleading said the CSPI report because each burger is like a quarter pounder). This dish comes as an appetizer or an entr?e. The entr?e version contains 2,350 calories, 38 grams of saturated fat, and 3,940 milligrams of sodium. * The Cheesecake Factory's Chicken and Biscuits has 2,500 calories. CSPI describes this dish as "discomfort food." and said that "if you wouldn't eat an entire 8-piece bucket of KFC Original Recipe plus 5 biscuits, you shouldn't order this". Unless you live in a city that has menu labelling, you wouldn't know about these figures. CSPI senior nutritionist Jayne Hurley described some of the dishes in the list as "would you like an entr?e with your entr?e?" Over the last couple of years several states and cities have passed legislation forcing restaurants to put nutrition and calorie information on menus to help people make better informed choices, and CSPI suggests Congress will soon pass national legislation to the same effect, especially as one of the federal judges who agreed to allow New York City's law stand when they appealed a ruling that favoured the restauranteurs, is President Obama's nominee for a seat on the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Part of the argument that the chain restaurants use to resist the legislation is that consumers are adults and should be free to choose what they eat without a "nanny state" telling them. However, lobby groups and health experts counter this with the argument that without the nutrition and calorie figures consumers can't make an informed choice and therefore can't properly exercise their responsibility. They can still choose to eat unhealthily if they wish, so the "nanny state" argument is a hollow one. CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G Wootan said: "Ultimately, Americans bear personal responsibility for their dining choices." "But you can't exercise personal responsibility if you don't have nutrition information when you order. Who would expect 2,800 calories in a dessert?" The CSPI did a survey of New Yorkers recently and found that 82 per cent of the respondents said seeing the numbers affected their choices. There is a bill currently going through Congress, put forward by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and US Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), called the Menu Education and Labeling (MEAL) Act which if implemented would force big restaurant chains to show calories on menu boards and other nutrition basics on the menus themselves, including saturated and trans fat content, carbohydrates, and sodium. If passed, the law will apply to restaurants throughout the US that have more than 20 outlets, and then only to their standard menu items, not to their daily specials or to their custom orders.

I did hear from her today. Nausea and pain better controlled but struggling with the protein.

Sorry to hear about your hair loss. I have also lost a scary amt of hair to the point that i have a very thin spot on the top of my head...I take biotin, tons of vitamins, protein up the wazooooo, and nioxin for the last year....No luck...my dermatologist said Nioxin is good at making your hair shiny and thats it...LOL....oh well i would rather be thinking i am doing something than nothing at all. I take 5000 mcg of biotin daily. All my vitamins are chewable or liquids so i am very compliant...If i have done everything I can do and it still falls out, then i will shave it and have a sexy tatoo placed on my head.....who knows...could be kind of fun......onenuttynurse

I am in the mushies phase now and I'm doing cottage cheese, apple sauce, ricotta cheese with SF syrups, yogurt, cream of wheat, protein puddings, egg salad, crustless quiche (or so's the plan, it's in the fridge now), cream of chicken soup, cream of chicken and mushroom soup (sometimes I add more chicken to these cream of soups... just taking a can of chicken, packaged like tuna, and adding it for addtl protein) and my clear protein drinks. I'm struggling with my drinking, still!

Wow. I hope I can be down 56! 3 weeks isn't that long I guess. I'm still on soft foods so wonder if that's why. I don't always realize how long it's been since I ate I think. I don't get my protein in though. Do you feel full? That's my concern. I can eat crackers and feel like tight.

Is anyone else experiencing this overwhelming fatigue? I am eating 400-500 calories per day, not quite getting all of my protein, am on soft foods, and getting enough sleep but I have zero energy. The very idea of exercising is laughable. By the time I do the minimum to care for my 3 kids, I have absolutely nothing left. How long will this go on? My house is a disaster and I am getting behind on everything. Any advice?

Any ideas for protein foods? That don't have to be pureed. I've been living on cottage cheese and scrambled eggs

Saw another post about this (actuallt it was about the 5 day pouch test) and it brought up more questions for me: Is our new stomachs stretchable and if so, will doing like 7 to 10 days of liquids bring us back to the restriction I once had? I've read both that u can and can't stretch ur stomach. I've read that since we don't have an actual pouch, the test won't work on us. I've also read that u CAN stretch it and a time of liquids can bring u back (even tho scientifically it sounds impossible that u can shrink the stomach by doing just liquids). If we could shrink our stomachs so easily, why would we have 85% of our stomachs removed in the first place. After a 4 mth stall (I eat the wrong foods in small portions but notice myself becoming hungrier and eating more) I decided to try 7 to 10 days of liquids only to give it a shot (altho I haave doubts that it'll work). Started yesterday. Drank Protein shakes and tomato Soup and literally starved. Coulda eaten my arm yesterday. When I read a couple posts about the liquid diet being unneccessary, I rethought my diet. Then I got on the scale. Lost 3 lbs. Haven't seen the 140's since getting married 2 yrs ago (after which my lapband slipped and I gained 34 lbs). So now I'm a little undecided on what to do. I'm pretty stoked about the loss. My plan is to get to my goal weight (most likely 135-140) and then Ill be able to easily maintain it with my portion control. I've been able to maintain my current weight for 4 mths fairly easily. Not sure what to do now. Advise? And yes, I know I'm sposed to track my food, protein first, lots of Water. So plz don't just give that advise....

All surgeons are a tad different. It's important to be comfortable with your med team so you will follow their plan. That said, much of what you describe is common. For myself, I gave up coffee for the first 5 months. Nowadays I have a decaf skinny mocha weekly. I do drink with a straw because it doesn't cause gas for me, I do not eat a lot of carbs and I do eat healthy fats. I get in all my Protein most days. No soda but champagne occasionally. I almost always get in 8 glasses of Water or I get dehydrated. I eat my protein first most of the time. How I eat now is different than when I was first sleeved. Was much closer to what you describe. I eat chocolate on occasion too . I also do 3 small meals and 2 Snacks on most days. I usually keep under 1000 calories.

I am on the soft pureed foods at the moment. I've tried to make it interesting but would like some ideas to make cottage cheese, yoghurt and stuff like that more interesting. I take plain greek yoghurt and add a little of the sugar free lime Jello in it for flavoring and stir it up or whip it up until blended..... it reminds me of key lime pie. Sometimes I add one packet of stevia too it as well because the greek yoghurt seems a little bitter and that takes away from the bitterness. You can add any flavor of sugar free jello to it..... put only use a little and not the whole packet. I used the egg beaters... southwestern style. I poured 1/4 cup into a muffin pan and baked it at 350 degrees in a toaster oven ... convection oven combo until done..... I then scooped it out and put it on my plate. It is like a keish I serve it with one tiny wedge of the laughing cow cheese. you have to be careful and eat it very slow as the first time I tried it seemed to get stuck in my esphagous.... Now over two weeks post op i can tolerate it well.... The thing about eating Protein foods like eggs is that it keeps you stomach feeling full for longer...... than say the mashed potatoes. I have scrambled eggs or mini keish at least once a day. any more suggestions..... I drink the broth from any of the Healthy choice Soups if i want something hot but do not blend them as that counts for a meal and it doesn't keep you feeling full. I don't like plain chicken broth but will strain the solid items from the Soup and just drink the broth from a soup mug.... it's very satisfying. still having the sugar free popsicles too...... not all the time. But they help a lot to satisfy the need for something sweet.....and refreshing.

I was sleeved on 7/31 and and a little over 3 week out, I eat eggs, Beans, cottage cheese, cheese sticks, Jello, apple sauce and Protein drinks, I am starting to get bored and I wanted to get ideas from people who were sleeve the same time as me. What are u all eating at this point??! I am also a slow looser I started my journey at 204 and I am at 192 currently, I really thought this process would of been faster but it's ok I am learning to be patient and not give up, I am a band to sleeve patient and know the weight isn't going to melt off.

The stoma can be stretched just like the pouch can. And I asked my surgeon specifically if the pouch can be stretched with liquids as well as solids. Her reply - "Absolutely". I have never seen any statistical information or clinical studies which offer any insight on how far out patients usually are when they are diagnosed with a stretched stoma. I suspect that the timeline could be quite varied on an individual basis. Orama1985 - there are options for repairing a stretched stoma with varying success rates. Did your surgeon offer any suggestions? And have you considered getting a second opinion? In your situation, I think I would seek a second opinion even if you ultimately decide to stick with the surgeon that did your bypass. Congratulations on your weight loss so far! We all wish you great success in finding a speedy solution to the current challenge!

Yes I was very very fuzzy until about 2 1/2 -3 weeks out. It delayed my return to work. I am an application developer so working brain fog is not an option. I am sure immediately after surgery anesthesia and pain meds make you fuzzy but then the change and diet starts to take its toll. I told my doctor at my 2 week appt. They thought I was probably getting low in vitamin b. They cleared me to start taking my vitamins and start adding more protein to my diet and both those things helped. It will get better.! Hang in there!

What protein shakes are you using? Can you drink isopure or premiere protein drink I know I. Ouldnt drink whey and when I tried premiere and isopure I have had no problems and I am 7 weeks out each day does get better. Welcome to the losers bench .

The more protein shakes you start drinking, the better you will start feeling. My surgeon only had me do clear liquids for 2 days, once I started drinking my protein shakes, I felt like a wilted flower coming back to life

Great job! You deserve.....a protein shake! Seriously, you have a lot to be proud of, good luck to you on your journey!